Lotus
by death muffin
Summary: Love is for everyone. Even Snape.
1. Bloom

_(Note: Series of short stories that have been haunting the corners of my brain. I haven't written anything longer than a status update in years and years so if they seem half assed, that's my excuse. Or, they might really be half assed. Bonus note! Lotus flowers can only grow in mud. I thought it fit.)_

**Bloom.**

It was by accident he discovered her existence. Or fate that brought them together, if you prefer that sort of thing.

He had been in a tree overlooking the small community playground when it happened, hiding from the gang of neighborhood boys who bullied him.

"Where is he?" a voice bellowed, as stomping issued from a small clump of neighboring trees. "Where is that stupid little arse?"

"Not here, mate." Answered another voice as the group of boys scanned the area. "Come on, let's go."

"Yeah, we'll get that little freak some other day. He probably ran home to his mum." Chimed in another as they all looked to the first boy- who was clutching a hand poorly bandaged in his t-shirt.

"…Fine." He consented after a moment, his hand obviously causing him a fair amount of pain.

Severus breathed a huge sigh of relief as he watched the group retreat in the direction they came from. He didn't dare leave his tree until he felt they would all be securely tucked away in their own homes.

That hand had been an accident too. Whenever he was scared or angry, his magic exploded out of him uncontrollably. That boy, Bobby or Billy or whatever his name was, had grabbed hold of his arm as he had run away, and wouldn't let go. So the magic had leapt out of his very skin this time, and burned that boys' hand. Burned it good.

Severus sighed again, this time in defeat. There would be no rest this summer. Neither inside his home, nor outside of it.

A shriek shattered the silence of the deepening evening. Severus flinched closer to his tree and scanned the area through the branches. It was nothing to be afraid of, just two little girls chasing each other into the play area, racing for the swings.

"I'm gonna beat you!" shouted the smaller of the girls joyfully, looking behind her as she ran. Since she wasn't paying attention she tripped as her feet went from the concrete to gravel and she skidded to her hands and knees.

"Oh, Lily!" cried the older girl as she jogged to her friend.

The sound of her name was all it took to shake the fallen girl from her stunned silence and she began to cry.

"Lily, don't cry! It'll be ok." The girl said as she took the girls arm and helped her to her feet. She examined the small cuts on the palms of her hands. "Look, it's not so bad! Just some little scrapes. Mummy can take care of these in no time at all and then…"

The elder girl trailed off, her eyes widening in amazement as she and Lily watched the scrapes heal themselves. She quickly dropped Lily's wrists and backed a couple steps away from her.

"What…. What…. What happened?" she stammered, frightened.

"I don't know." Lily answered; a note of awe in her voice. She was flexing her hands, studying them from every angle. "They just…. Fixed themselves." she added, rubbing her freshly healed knees.

"Scrapes can't just 'fix themselves.'" Her sister said coldly. "What did you do?"

No, scrapes couldn't just fix themselves. Severus shifted nearer to the girls in his tree, leaning as close as he could without falling. He wanted to see for himself.

"I didn't do anything." Lily said, sounding scandalized. "You saw it! It was like magic!" she added cheerfully, clapping her hands together once for emphasis.

At this declaration, Severus nearly fell out of the tree. 'Could it have been?' he wondered, studying the red haired girl.

Her sister was still shifting uncomfortably where she stood a little ways away. "I'm going to tell mummy."

"Tell her what?" Lily asked defiantly. "That I'm not hurt? Let's swing!"

"No…" the sister said, backing slowly towards the entrance to the park. "No, I'm telling!" she shouted, breaking into a run and sprinting through the gate.

"Tuney!" Lily cried, chasing after her. "Tuney! WAIT!"

Severus jumped down from his tree and stood staring quietly in the direction the girls had run for a long time, before turning and leaving the opposite direction.

_-K.B._

_3/5/11_


	2. Here, There and Everywhere

**Here, There and Everywhere.**

He waited for her in "their" spot by the lake; right at the water's edge, underneath what she believed was the shadiest tree around. He could discern no difference between the shade given by this particular tree and the surrounding ones. But she preferred this tree, and he preferred her.

He scanned the grounds anxiously. He was always afraid she'd forget about him; she'd become so popular. Everyone seemed to want her attention. It made him constantly worry he'd be squeezed out of her life. Cast aside, left behind. She was all he really had. Yes, he was on friendly terms with the other Slytherins. He enjoyed the company of like-minded people immensely, people who didn't shrink away when he voiced some of his more radical ideals. And yes, there were a small number of them he counted as friends. But Lily Evans was different. She was the only friend he had that fit into the classic definition of the word. His confidant, his companion, the only one who knew the details of his personal life. She was the only one he ever laughed with. The only one whose company ever made him happy….

….And she had stood him up. He scowled bitterly. A sudden burst of laughter to his right made his head spin around so fast it was surprising he didn't get whiplash. There she was; the center of a group of girls, and one Sirius Black, loudly making its way across the campus. She caught his eye and turned to the group to excuse herself from their number, then made a beeline for the tree he waited under.

"Bye!" "See you, Lily!" the crowd cried as they continued on their way around the lake.

"Bye!" she called, pausing to wave over her shoulder to them.

She unceremoniously dumped her bag, and then dropped lightly to the ground beside him.

"Relax." She said, rolling her eyes at his rigid posture and intense gaze, ignoring all the questions and accusations burning in his eyes.

He slumped ever so slightly. "You're late." He muttered softly.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." She said yawning and stretching gracefully like a cat. "Got held up after Charms."

He nodded slightly, staring at the ground. "Running around with that Black prat now?"

Lily's eyes widened, and then she chuckled softly. "Who's being a prat now?" she asked, tossing a twig at the side of his lowered head. "He only showed up to hit on everything with breasts."

He raised his head a little to meet her gaze, and smiled shyly at her.

"Seriously, Sev. Relax. You're my best friend." She reached out and pulled the twig she'd thrown out of his hair. "I'm not going to abandon you under a shady tree all by yourself on a gorgeous fall day." She said, her voice heavy with irony. "Sorry I left you waiting."

"I suppose worse things have happened." He smirked. "You are forgiven."

"Glad to hear." She said, digging through her school bag. She pulled out her Potions text book and regarded him seriously. "You know, you don't have to pretend to need help with potions to get me to hang around with you."

He flushed. "I… I don't! I do struggle with some of it…. You make it all seem so effortless."

She made a dismissive noise. "Flattery will get you nowhere. If I am better, it's just barely. Now," she said digging another book out of her bag. "We have a difficult decision to make. Transfiguration, or Potions?"

Severus reached out and took the Potions book out of her right hand, leaving her with Transfiguration.

"Excellent!" she exclaimed, laying back on the ground and arranging the book behind her head. "This one's cover is much more comfortable."

He looked down at her from where he sat, a shocked and bemused smile on his face. "You're something else…"

She grinned up at him. "Come on!" she coaxed him like a puppy, patting the ground beside her.

He shook his head and stretched out next to her, and they relaxed in silence staring at the leafy canopy above them.

-K.B.

3/6/11

(Note. I stole the name from a Beatles song. It's very fitting.)


End file.
